East Greenville-based Knoll is known for its innovative chairs that emulate an artistic style worthy of being in a museum exhibition. Notable designers have designed midcentury-style chairs for the company, according to Terry and Kim Kovel in The Daily Times.  

The famous grasshopper and womb chairs are designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen. The architect also designed buildings, some of which are at the University of Pennsylvania.  

Barto, Pennsylvania, resident Harry Bertoia designed the Diamond chair, and Jen Risom was the mind behind the lounge chair.  

Italian-born Bertoia has made quite the stake in the Delaware Valley. He moved to Barto, which is on the border of Berks and Montgomery counties, in 1950 to work for Knoll.  

In the 1960s, Bertoia renovated a barn to make “sonambient” sound sculptures. He even produced eleven albums and performed in concerts with these sculptures. His work can be seen at the Reading Public Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  

The brand also features upholstered chairs, often collaborating with fashion designers since the opening of Knoll’s textile division in 1947. In 2003, Stephan Sprouse designed the steel pod chair, which features a graffiti version of the Declaration of Independence. 

Read more about the East Greenville brand in The Daily Times.  

Harry Bertoia’s sculptures featured at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas.